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New CAD/CAM Learning Laboratory Opens at Ostrow School of Dentistry

The new VITA CAD/CAM Learning Laboratory.

The Ostrow School of Dentistry unveiled its new computer-aided design and manufacturing laboratory to leaders from the dental technology company VITA on February 10.

Supported by and named with a generous donation from the company, the VITA CAD/CAM Learning Laboratory provides unprecedented access for Ostrow students and faculty to the state-of-the-art technology for digitally designed, custom-made dental restorations and prostheses.

Ostrow School of Dentistry Dean Avishai Sadan and Associate Professor Sillas Duarte led visitors from VITA, including VITA North America CEO Fred Ketcho, on a tour of the new laboratory as well as the newly renovated Patterson Implant Clinic, one of the school’s clinics in which products of the CAD/CAM lab will be used to treat patients.

“VITA is proud to be a supporter of the faculty and students of the Ostrow School of Dentistry,” Ketcho said. “We are honored to be a part of a ground-breaking curriculum that provides extensive real-world exposure to the latest innovations in digital dentistry.”

Ostrow and VITA leadership toured the new facility on February 10, 2014.

The sleek, modern laboratory houses six milling machines, which use data drawn from a patient’s digital dental images to cut and shape a perfectly customized restoration piece from a block of ceramic material. The new facilities provide students and residents with important clinical experiences, Duarte said.

“This technology allows for more efficient, tailored treatment for patients, which results in better outcomes,” Duarte said. “It’s vital for our students to have a great deal of experience with this technology as they prepare to go out into the world and practice state-of-the-art dentistry in our communities.”

Sadan said the VITA CAD/CAM Learning Laboratory was an important new part of getting Ostrow students ready to join a profession that has been changing faster than ever.

“We want to give our students every possible professional advantage, and we are fortunate to have joined forces with VITA in order to create this laboratory for our future Trojan dental professionals,” Sadan said. “The technology and techniques of our profession are constantly evolving, and Ostrow graduates will be prepared.”